The Tampa Bay Lightning have answered the cross-state-rival and defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers’ first couple of additions ahead of the NHL trade deadline with a big move of their own.

Florida was bidding to become the first team in NHL history to start 12-0-0 at home.

The Seattle Kraken have set their initial roster.

The Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft is set to take place Wednesday, July 21 at 8 p.m. ET.

Expect a fast and furious NHL offseason to unfold in the coming days and weeks.

The Florida Panthers entrusted their season to a rookie goalie making his playoff debut.

Alex Killorn scored a pair of second-period goals and the Tampa Bay Lightning rebounded from its first postseason loss to rout the Florida Panthers 6-2 and take a commanding 3-1 lead in the first-round Central Division playoff matchup.

Vegas Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has stopped 63 of 65 shots from the Minnesota Wild over the first two games of their West Division playoff series.

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 32 shots, Steven Stamkos and Ondrej Palat had first-period goals and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Florida Panthers 3-1 on Tuesday night to take a 2-0 lead in their Central Division first-round playoff series.

The first-ever playoff game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers could be tough to top.

Juho Lammikko scored a short-handed goal for Florida.

The Tampa Bay Lightning started three Black forwards in their regular-season finale against the Florida Panthers, a rarity in NHL history — if not an absolute first.

Chris Driedger stopped 30 shots to record his third shutout of the season, Juho Lammikko scored a short-handed goal, and the Florida Panthers secured home-ice advantage for the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 4-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the regular season finale for both clubs.

Florida moved into a three-way tie for first place with Tampa Bay and Carolina, each holding 58 points.

Driedger, who has earned wins in four of his last five appearances, stopped all 32 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season.

John Vanbiesbrouck of USA Hockey attends the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 23, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers are one of the biggest surprises in the NHL this year. “Oh, I’m keeping tabs on them,” original Panther John Vanbiesbrouck told Local 10. “They’re a well-coached team and a very balanced team. “They’ve built a very strong team.”

The next goaltender to debut some throwback gear will be Chris Driedger of the Florida Panthers. Chris Driedger's new reverse retro themed pads and gloves. Chris Driedger wearing his new retro pads during a Florida Panthers practice at the BB&T Center. I think some teams did a really, really good job with it so I’m happy about the league going with the reverse retros. CD- Well other than ours, there are a lot of good examples of teams that did a really good job with it.

Goaltender Chris Driedger of the Florida Panthers watches a replay after making a save against the Dallas Stars at the BB&T Center on February 22, 2021 in Sunrise, Florida. SUNRISE, Fla. – Martin Necas scored 1:59 into overtime and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Monday night. Brett Pesce and Vincent Trochek also scored for the Hurricanes, who won their second straight at Florida. Frank Vatrano and Eetu Loustarinen scored in the third period to give Florida the lead, and Chris Driedger finished with 24 saves. It was also the first time this season that Florida has lost consecutive games; they had been 6-0-0 following a defeat.

Florida’s 6-1-2 start through nine games is the second-best in franchise history, topped only by the 6-0-3 record to open the 1996-97 season. “We've been consistent in most games," Florida coach Joel Quenneville said. Starting poorly, however, has pretty much snuffed out some Panthers seasons before they even started. The five Florida teams that went to the playoffs — 1995-96, 1996-97, 1999-2000, 2011-12 and 2015-16 — averaged 12 standings points through the season’s first nine games. There’s obviously a long way to go, but the Panthers finally have the start they wanted.

Frank Vatrano looks out from the net as Goaltender Chris Driedger of the Florida Panthers stops a shot by the Chicago Blackhawks at the BB&T Center on January 17, 2021 in Sunrise, Florida. SUNRISE, Fla. – Givani Smith had a goal and an assist as Detroit Red Wings won for the first time in nine games, beating the Florida Panthers 4-1. Marc Staal scored for the first time with Detroit, Robby Fabbri and Vladislav Namestnikov added goals and Troy Stecher had two assists. Alex Wennberg scored for the Panthers, and goalie Chris Driedger made 35 saves. Florida became the last NHL team to lose in regulation this season.

Goaltender Chris Driedger of the Florida Panthers looks up ice during a break in actin against the Chicago Blackhawks at the BB&T Center on January 17, 2021 in Sunrise, Florida. SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers continued their hot start to the season, remaining undefeated in regulation through eight games. Carter Verhaeghe had the go-ahead goal and an assist, and Aleksander Barkov also scored as the Panthers defeated the Nashville Predators 2-1. Colton Sissons had the lone goal for the Predators, who split the two-game series. Goaltender Pekka Rinne played extremely well in the losing effort, finishing with 34 saves for Nashville.

Keith Yandle #3 of the Florida Panthers celebrates his first period goal with teammates while playing the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on January 30, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan. DETROIT – Patric Hornqvist, Aaron Ekblad and Carter Verhaeghe scored, and the Florida Panthers held off the Detroit Red Wings for a 3-2 win. Anthony Mantha scored with 1:48 remaining to pull the Red Wings within a goal after pulling goalie Thomas Greiss to add an extra skater. Detroit pulled its goaltender again but couldn’t get another shot past Florida goaltender Chris Driedger to extend the game. Dylan Larkin scored to put the Red Wings ahead early in the game.

Alexandre Texier #42 of the Columbus Blue Jackets beats Chris Driedger #60 of the Florida Panthers for the game winning goal in the shootout at Nationwide Arena on January 28, 2021 in Columbus, Ohio. COLUMBUS, Ohio – Alexandre Texier slickly beat Chris Driedger five-hole in the fourth round of a shootout to lift the Columbus Blue Jackets over the Florida Panthers 3-2. Columbus’ Elvis Merzlikins sealed it by denying Patric Hornqvist, who scored the winning goal in a shootout between the teams Tuesday night. Florida’s Eetu Luostarinen tied it in the third period, and Carter Verhaeghe also had a goal for the Panthers. The Blue Jackets will remain in Columbus, where they host the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night.

Goaltender Chris Driedger of the Florida Panthers stops a shot by Philipp Kurashev of the Chicago Blackhawks at the BB&T Center on January 17, 2021 in Sunrise, Florida. SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers opened their 2020-21 season in front of a sparce and socially distant crowd the BB&T Center, hoping to get off on the proverbial right foot. He skated in eight games for the Carolina Hurricanes before Florida acquired him last season in the Trade Deadline deal for Vincent Trocheck. Asked about his big goal after the game, Luostarinen seemed more interested in talking about the team’s win than his individual accomplishment. “I think that’s a huge win for us and a good way to start off the season.

Florida Panthers goaltender Chris Driedger is introduced before an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. SUNRISE, Fla. – The revamped Florida Panthers were expected to look a bit different when taking the ice for the first time, but not so much in the goal crease. Last season Driedger went 7-2-1 in limited action for the Panthers, including an impressive .938 save percentage and 2.05 goals against average. “Whatever does happen, I’m going to be excited.”Florida Panthers goaltender Chris Driedger raises his stick after the Panthers defeated the Nashville Predators 3-0 Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. “It’s tough seeing those other teams play and get this going,” Driedger said.

“I really liked the pace of the scrimmage,” Quenneville said. I think he’s going to be a great fit here. “I thought the goalies were really good,” Quenneville said after the scrimmage. “I think he’s going through camp here,” Quenneville said when asked for his assessment of Denisenko to this point. “I thought he was one that had really good pace.”Frank Vatrano was very active on a line with Tippett and center Eetu Luostarinen.

SUNRISE, Fla. – Episode 28 of the Chirping the Cats podcast features another great goalie chat, as this time we sit down with Florida Panthers goaltender Chris Driedger. Host David Dwork chats with Driedgs about how he feels heading into the new season and what he thinks about the moves made by new GM Bill Zito. They also discuss Driedger’s experience with yoga and how he incorporates it into his preparation, some of his favorite (and least favorite) buildings to play in, and of course, goalie pads. SUBSCRIBE TO THE CTC PODCAST - iOS | Android:45 – Feeling prepared and confident heading into first full NHL season3:45 – Playing a consistent style, keeping movements to a minimum5:20 – Pleased with moves made by Bill Zito6:25 – Springfield’s goalie-filled apartment7:45 – Just arrived in South Florida, under mandatory quarantine9:20 – Yoga plays a big part in training11:00 – Mixing weight training with yoga; a goalie’s workout plan12:40 – Bus trip stories, playing lots of games in wet gear15:05 – Favorite and least favorite arenas from over the years17:00 – Gameday rituals, trying to keep it simple19:20 – On ice movements, stick taps, etc. 20:45 – Being around Roberto Luongo and Sergei Bobrovsky every day; Bob’s ridiculous work ethic22:55 – Talking goalie gear; Driedgs’ a loyal Vaughn guy

PITTSBURGH – Mike Hoffman had a goal and an assist, rookie Chris Driedger stopped 31 shots and the Florida Panthers ended an eight-game losing streak on Pittsburgh ice with a 4-1 victory over the Penguins on Sunday night. Florida bounced back from a loss to Buffalo on Saturday by winning in Pittsburgh for the first time since Jan. 20, 2014. Simon skated through the neutral zone, drew two Panthers and passed to McCann, who ripped one by Driedger to pull the Penguins even. And for the first time in a long time for Florida in Pittsburgh, the Panthers didn't give it back. Driedger and the defense did the rest to give Florida just its second victory in Pittsburgh since 2009.

Young, journeyman goaltender Chris Driedger had just completed his first NHL start, called up days earlier by the Florida Panthers. Florida Panthers goaltender Chris Driedger is introduced before an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. Not only had Driedger just won his first start in the National Hockey League, but he did so without giving up a single goal. Quenneville wouldn’t say whether Driedger had earned himself another start when Florida hosts the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. Florida Panthers goaltender Chris Driedger defends the goal as defenseman Mike Matheson and Nashville Predators center Craig Smith fight for the puck on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019.